11 Brilliantly Controversial Martin Scorsese Moments

2. Raging Bull - Domestic Violence

While Raging Bull is defined by the outstanding performance of Robert De Niro, the film continues Scorsese's storytelling tradition of directing scripts that explore uncomfortable social subjects. One of the pathetic aspects of Jake LaMotta in the film is how he violently goes after his own family. The bitter fights with his brother and his wife become boxing matches of their own, and LaMotta's inability to curb his aggression leads him to peril. While familial abuse has been an unfortunate reality throughout history, it is ground that American filmmakers avoided until the New Hollywood Movement of the late 1960s and 1970s in films like The Godfather and Chinatown. While Raging Bull was released later, it was released in 1980, a year in which America was being reintroduced to "family values". Scorsese was able to use the tragedy of a controversial topic to show just how helpless some people can become, and it remains a testament to the true horror of a broken home.